The Swiss platform for High-Performance and High-Productivity Computing (HP2C) is the world’s first and only project with the aim of developing optimized scientific simulations for high-performance computers. Seismologists from ETH Zurich are also involved, namely in the «Petaquake» project.

What is the exact structure of the Earth’s interior? What are the processes that take place there? Where and how do earthquakes originate? These are some of the central questions concerning our planet that we have not yet been able to answer with certainty. A view into the Earth’s interior similar to computed tomography for a human being could provide these answers, thus helping to improve seismic risk maps. This would be an important basis for assessing the risk of the locations of nuclear power plants or hospitals in Switzerland for example.